Fried Mobo

[Chaser]

Hey I know quite a few of you build your own systems a lot so hopefully someone here will be able to answer my question.

I've built a system or two in the past but each time everything has worked the first time.

I'm building a new system for my mom's fiance, nothing top end but a fairly decent system. Problem is, when I put everything together and tried to turn it on, the only thing that happened is the LEDS / Fans kicked on, and immediately turned back off.

I spent some time rechecking wires from the PSU and everything seemed to be in place correctly, I turned it back on and the same thing happened. A little baffled at this point I proceeded to remove everything but the barebones necessities.

This time when I turned it on, it turned on again, turned right back off, same as the previous two attempts. I unplugged the entire system from the wall and went to the bathroom and got a drink. When i came back I AGAIN checked the wires, nothing out of place, nothing missing. When I plugged it into the wall to give it another go, before I even had a chance to push the power switch, and small stream of smoke billowed up from the mobo and a small orange glow was visible. I immediately pulled the plug and repackaged the mobo to RMA it.

My main question is, before I start attempting to redo this with the new mobo, is there something else that could have caused this to happen that I may not be aware of. I want to obviously avoid the same outcome.

Could it be something with the PSU?

Hopefully someone a little more experienced than I can help me shed some light on the problem.

[Stability]

Ouch dude. Been there, done that :( Seeing smoke come out of a computer is just horrible.

Well, I would give my 2 cents, but I have little experience, so I'll wait for the pros to chime in :)

-Stab

[[Jett]-rush2049]

Where was the orange glow coming from, or where was the smoke coming from?

[[Jett]-OMEGA]

Take it to Geek Squad before you mess something up. Cause you need to be honest with yourself. You don't know jack or shit about fixing or building computers and you're only wasting your time if you don't know what you're really doing.

[[Jett]-Willow]

-OMEGA;6527']Take it to Geek Squad before you mess something up. Cause you need to be honest with yourself. You don't know jack or shit about fixing or building computers and you're only wasting your time if you don't know what you're really doing.

Agreed, however don't do Geek Squad (cons) call a reputable (keyword) local place to look at it. However if you're really so inclined and knowledgeable you can check your PSU with a multimeter, however I do not feel comfortable explaining that process out without having a good knowledge of electronics and their workings.

[Chaser]

-OMEGA;6527']Take it to Geek Squad before you mess something up. Cause you need to be honest with yourself. You don't know jack or shit about fixing or building computers and you're only wasting your time if you don't know what you're really doing.

I might not know as much as some of these guys do, but I have built systems in the past that have all worked fine. I have also taken apart plenty of them to upgrade parts or fix random things.

For what i'm doing I have plenty of knowledge. Now If I were trying to overclock things, or run multiple video cards then I wouldn't be doing by myself.

Its not hard to place a processor or motherboard in a case and attach a PSU, this is the first time ive had any trouble and I just wanted to advice on what the problems might be or may be.

Besides I'm not going to pay $300 for geek squad to do it when its just some kid straight out of highschool guessing at what might be wrong.

As far as the power supply is concerned, it works in my other systems, so does the ram and processor.. All I was wondering is if there might be something I haven't experienced in the past that might lead the mobo to not work other than the thing being no good on arrival.

When I placed it I made sure I was grounded, so its not from static.

[Marker]

I unplugged the entire system from the wall and went to the bathroom and got a drink.

whoa whoa wait a minute... drink frm the bathroom? lol jk

i wouldn't go with geek squad either (same for anyone with common sense), so unless you got any little kids running around the house touching whatever they see behind ur back then youve got a weird situation cuz if you followed the same processes as the previous times you built pc's then obviously you didnt do anything wrong

[Chaser]

Well my kitchen sink is broken, so when I want a drink of water I just use the toilet... Figure if my dog can do it so can I.. Lol j/k

Thats the thing i'm trying to say, I've built these things before, the parts change a bit but the basic brands and types of items dont vary much.

I know the reason the mobo fried wasn't a direct cause from me, if I had been I would openly admit it. My concern was just that I've never dealt with a fried motherboard, and dont want to plug in the new one if its something else that is causing it to fail.

[[Jett]-Tank]

Well my kitchen sink is broken, so when I want a drink of water I just use the toilet... Figure if my dog can do it so can I.. Lol j/k

Thats the thing i'm trying to say, I've built these things before, the parts change a bit but the basic brands and types of items dont vary much.

I know the reason the mobo fried wasn't a direct cause from me, if I had been I would openly admit it. My concern was just that I've never dealt with a fried motherboard, and dont want to plug in the new one if its something else that is causing it to fail.

I'd suggest making totally sure the MB is the right type for the processor you have...doesn't matter if it "fits" or not, also gotta make sure the two are compatible. Just a thought.

-=Tank=-

[Chaser]

I thought the same thing tank, after thinking about it though it didn't take long for me to dismiss the idea since I did purchase them as a bundle deal. Just to be on the safe side i'll look up the list of compatible parts for the mobo and verify everything I have works.

[[Jett]-Einstein]

One of the most common things I see people get wrong with motherboard installs is the standoffs on the back. A lot of times people dont screw the standoffs in the case, and just screw the board to the case directly. Also I've seen standoffs in the wrong place. Either one can short out the board and release the magic smoke.

It's also possible it was a defective board from the factory. There are far too many possibilities for anyone here to see...yup..this is what you did wrong...if it happens again though I'd say you screwed up.

[Chaser]

Got the new mobo today, put everything together, worked on the first try, runs like a champ.

Must have been a bad mobo after all. Thanks for the help everyone who tried.